US student wins scholarship to study Urdu in Lucknow

A US student, Ugbaad Keynan, who is quite keen on the political history between India and Pakistan, has won a scholarship to study Urdu in Lucknow. Kenyan will spend eight weeks studying the language while living with a host family, the university said.

A US student, Ugbaad Keynan, who is quite keen on the political history between India and Pakistan, has won a scholarship to study Urdu in Lucknow.

"I'm really interested in the political history between Pakistan and India. I would also like to know about the reason behind the two nuclear powers not signing the Non-Proliferation Treaty," said Ugbaad Keynan, a sophomore and an international affairs major at the Eastern Michigan University.

Kenyan, who has been awarded a Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) to study Urdu in Lucknow this summer, will arrive in Lucknow in June and spend eight weeks studying the language while living with a host family, the university said in a statement.

The goals of the CLS Urdu Programme are language acquisition and cultural immersion.

Language classes cover the concepts of grammar, conversation, pronunciation, journal writing and dictation that hone the four skills of language development - listening, speaking, reading and writing.